Kristian Garic

Kristian Quick Hits: Vitt takes over and the air will be thin

by Kristian Garic, kristian@wwl.com,posted Oct 23 2012 6:57AM

Vitt is back:

Assistant Coach Joe Vitt said he agonized while watching the Saints from afar serving his 6 game suspension. "I looked at my calendar and my watch a lot," Vitt explained. To pass the time Vitt kept himself busy with a few speaking engagements, but said, "Nothing can fill the void of not being around the team." He also stressed he’s not a miracle work and merely a "spoke in the wheel." Vitt insisted the message and approach is the same for the Saints final 10 games of the season, starting this Sunday night against the Denver Broncos in prime time. Vitt will serve as head coach until Sean Payton returns after the season.

Graham update:

Saints TE Jimmy Graham (ankle) missed Sunday’s win over the Bucs, and Vitt said the team will "re-evaluate Graham on Wednesday." He also said he expects Graham to be ready for Sunday’s primetime match up with the Broncos Sunday. Graham is off to a relatively slow start this season, but as we know is a huge weapon for the Saints - especially in the red-zone. Ankle sprains have a way of lingering for skill players, so we’ll see how he reacts to treatment on that ankle this week.

Altitude Change:

"There are a lot of excuses you can find as to why you lose and altitude is one of them," Vitt said - tongue cheek - about traveling to Denver this week and playing in the mile high city. New Orleans is considering traveling to Denver a day early (Friday) to get the players used to the climate. It is a tough place to play, but the players downplayed the significance of the thin air. Scott Shanle told me, "The bottom line is you win and lose games because of execution, not that altitude."